Many employees do not work in a single location. Many care providers, for example, provide essential help to patients, particularly the elderly and those in need of medical aid, at their respective homes or other location due to the patient's difficulty or inability to leave his or her home or residence. This care may include the administration of pharmaceutical drugs, physical therapy, conversation, food, bathing, or the like. Many of these patients depend heavily upon the services provided by their care providers.
The care providers may begin their shifts by calling-in or arriving at their patients' location. However, most of these employees' shifts are spent without any direct supervision by the employer. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for an employee to take advantage of the lack of supervision and either show up late for his shift, leave early from his shift, or not show up at all. In addition, it is possible for an employee to make a mistake and to go to the wrong place (location) without realizing it. These problems are further compounded by virtue of the fact that many of the employees' patients are elderly, developmentally impaired and are either afraid to complain or do not realize that the care provider is not fulfilling his responsibilities. In addition, once on the job, some employees may not stay awake to fulfill their job obligations and thus expose their patients to significant risks.
Yet another concern involves the safety of the care provider. As mentioned, the care providers often meet the patients at an unfamiliar or unknown location. For cost reasons, the care providers are often alone and by themselves. While the care provider can take some precautions, the situation is sometimes dangerous by nature.